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House Hansard - 161

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 15, 2023 02:00PM
Context: House Hansard - 161 - Feb/15/23
Mr. Charlie Angus (Timmins—James Bay, NDP)
  • Feb/15/23 4:58:23 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-39 
Mr. Speaker, we need to be very careful about language, when I hear my colleague saying that MAID just takes hope away. I had good friends who suffered, who faced death and who had horrific pain. They made a choice, and they died with their loving family around them. That is one thing, and I respect that. I do not have any right to tell them that they had no choice to do that. The issue before us is whether we should expand this, with now over 10,000 cases a year undergoing MAID, and include mental illness and depression. I think that is a step way too far. It is irresponsible that this comes at the 11th hour, almost the 12th hour, to be debated in the House. It goes back to the fundamental failure. We were told, when MAID was brought in, that there would be a review by Parliament to make sure that it was being used in a fair and applicable manner that met what we were all told were going to be the conditions. That does not seem to be the case. Why are we debating putting this off for another year? We should be voting to say, no, this is not what MAID was intended for. It should not be used in conditions of depression, mental illness, PTSD or any of those other extensions that the unelected and unaccountable Senate thinks it should be.
240 words
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